Does your right knee hit the diff lock button?

[lancaster]

I was picking up my 4 yr old from preschool the other day and was maneuvering around a crowded parking lot. Things started acting funny - front tires chirping, stearing feeling heavy etc...

I found that the diff had been locked!! I must have hit it with my knee.

Had to call Lexus to get it un locked - didn't work when I just pressed the button again. I had to do some silly thing like put it into neutral, go in reverse etc...

Overall a very unpleasent experience.

Is there any way to disable this switch?

BTW - 2003 LX

 

[Jim_Chow]

Never had the problem of accidentally hitting the CDL switch, and I'm 6'1". I told my wife, "See this button...don't push it!"

 

[1loudLX]

yeah i dont have a problem with the button + my knee im 5'6". When i have engaged it, i havent had a problem disengaging it, you just have to roll it out after pressing the button.

 

[Dandon]

Ahem.. did you ever Read The Funny Manual?

 

[Dandon]

Sorry it I sounded too harsh. But don't forget this IS a serious offroad vehicle. It has some nice features not available on a similarly sized minivan, one being the diff lock, and another one the low gear transfer (the other small stick to the right of the shift lever ). What I mean is that all of them are worth reading about their purpose, their function and how they affect driving, in order not to have unpleasant surprises, or even expensive failures.
Other than that, enjoy your LX

 

[dclee]

Yes, and I have no idea how! It's happened twice now in almost three years of ownership. Driving position is correct, and neither of us is taller than 5' 8" (though my wife has longer legs than me, hehe - and she does know what the button does, and not to hit it).

The second time was a bear to get it to turn off. Manually shifted through all gears, drove in reverse, put it on dirt, finally had to turn off the vehicle and restart. Weird.

 

[1loudLX]

does the CDL need to be exercised every once in a while like the rear diff locker??

 

[DoctorJay]

Sounds like there may be a bug in the system. Are you sure you hit the button? It could be a faulty switch, especially if you can't get it to disengage. As was mentioned above, if you disengage while driving, the CDL won't unlock until you take your foot off the gas.

 

[100 TD]

Yes but for me it is my left knee!
Do a search on CDL and you will find this has been written about before on many occassions. One of these days I will relocate the switch.
You don't want to disable the switch, as you would not be able to lock it in slippery conditions. The problem with unlocking ican be caused by the following
.
When you go to unlock it and it doesn't unlock immediately and you push it a few extra times, it is difficult to see the difference between the switch being IN or OUT. You really have to look to make sure it is OUT.
Then the transmission has "wound up" with pressure on either side of the transfer case due to it being locked on a hard surface, so you may have to drive in circles, or backwards putting the gas on lightly and letting it off etc to get it to unlock. Selecting neutral in the transfer case will also remove the wind up. Alternatively, drive onto some dirt or grass with gas on gas off and it should disengage. (That is if the switch is DEFINITELY OUT)

I was picking up my 4 yr old from preschool the other day and was maneuvering around a crowded parking lot. Things started acting funny - front tires chirping, stearing feeling heavy etc...

I found that the diff had been locked!! I must have hit it with my knee.

Had to call Lexus to get it un locked - didn't work when I just pressed the button again. I had to do some silly thing like put it into neutral, go in reverse etc...

Overall a very unpleasent experience.

Is there any way to disable this switch?

BTW - 2003 LX

 

[CheeseMan]

Sort of on this topic. I was reading the manual the other night (new TLC owner) and it did not do a very good job of describing what driving situations would be best for the various 4wd options. There is VSC which is like an all time AWD and then there is real 4WD which is engaged by pressing the rear diff lock button. Then there is power? 2nd Start, High Nuetral Low? Could someone give me quick "edumication" on when and where to use these different drive types?

 

[BMWSTOY]

The blank panel on the passenger side is the same size, I would hope there is enough wire to relocate it and it would still be reachable. Now if your passengers engage it I am of no help

 

[LXPearl]

I have not had a problem with my knee hitting the button, but I have bumped it accidently while reaching for the audio controls at night. It was a surprise, but I learned to be careful about fumbling around for dash controls.

 

[flyfish4life]

I have not had a problem with my knee hitting the button, but I have bumped it accidently while reaching for the audio controls at night. It was a surprise, but I learned to be careful about fumbling around for dash controls.

Yes I have hit it accidentally with right knee twice in 5,000 miles of ownership. Second time was at the gas station and took a bit of effort to disengage. Placement of the CDL button on the 2003+ is terrible. I think the 98-02's have slightly different placement.

 

[hoser]

I think Mercedes had better sense when it came to the differential lock buttons. Up high, all in the same spot and independently activated.

 

[1loudLX]

I think Mercedes had better sense when it came to the differential lock buttons. Up high, all in the same spot and independently activated.

Well, they would activate if the switchs work, we all know how german electrical engineering is.

 

[Dandon]

Well, they would activate if the switchs work, we all know how german electrical engineering is.

Yes, sure, Siemens or Bosch have no clue about electrical engineering

 

[1loudLX]

well, you know what i meant...german vehicular electrical engineering. I know pleanty of people who own bmws/benz who have problems with their cars.

 

[dclee]

well, you know what i meant...german vehicular electrical engineering. I know pleanty of people who own bmws/benz who have problems with their cars.

That's only in recent years (like within the last 10), when the bean counters took over at Daimler-Benz and they started using cheaper electronics (among other things) to keep costs down. Before that, DBAG was a true engineering company and their electronics were among the best in the world, in any industry. And their suppliers were people like Bosch and Siemens. Somewhere around 1995 was the high-water mark, the apex of their engineering brilliance. After that it all went downhill. Looks like that may be turning around with Dr. Dieter Zetsche at the helm (the famous Dr. Z, who holds undergraduate and PhD degrees in electrical engineering!).

BMW, hmm, well, I guess they've always been subpar...

 

[SC4Hundred]

I have 2001 and never hit the button with my knee, when you turn on the VSC light turns off

 

[DoctorJay]

I think Mercedes had better sense when it came to the differential lock buttons. Up high, all in the same spot and independently activated.

Great design. Even better is the G-wagen model with hydraulic actuators for the diff locks (don't know if they brought those to the US). No electronics in the linkage at all; just pull a little lever in the console to activate the lockers.

I wish we could still get that mechanical simplicity here in the US.